TV guide for Singapore in July: The Umbrella Academy S2, Grey's Anatomy S16, A Quest To Heal and more

Every month, we’ll tell you about new shows to hit terrestrial and cable channels, as well as streaming sites in Singapore. We’ll also highlight the television shows that you’ve got to be home (or on your phone) to catch every month.

Overview of July's TV shows

As life (slowly) returns to normal, so does our selection of television shows — and it's a massive selection indeed! Viu's To All The Guys Who Loved Me (a derivative title, but you should check out the premise) and OhK! have a wide range of Korean fare. Channel 8 explores new boundaries with time-travelling drama A Quest To Heal, and the unceasing popularity of Grey's Anatomy means that a 16th season debuts on FOX Life this month. For a touch of nostalgia, there's Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy on Netflix, which gives a more adult slant to a traditionally kid-oriented series, and The Umbrella Academy also returns for a second season. With all these new shows to catch, you might very well wish that the Circuit Breaker had been extended to let you watch all of them!

To All The Guys Who Loved Me (7 Jul)
Viu

Seo Hyun Joo, who leads a webcomic planning team, declares her plans to remain single after all her previous failed relationships — just as two men suddenly confess their love to her! Her two suitors are Hwang Ji Wo, the cold CEO of a pharmaceutical company, and Park Do Gyeom, a sociable and popular webcomic writer who grew up with a crush on Hyun Joo. Who will win her heart? Will Seo Hyun Joo remain single? Will anything ever be the same again? Stars Yoon Hyun Min and Seo Ji Hoon.

The appeal of the title is fairly obvious, although it has a drastically different premise from the Netflix series To All The Boys Who Loved Me. Although protagonist Seo Hyun Joo seems painfully pretentious, what with her pensive stares and polaroids, the setting for the series seems to have quite a bit of potential. After all, it's not every day that we see a series set in a webcomic company, and this is where the true appeal to singles will lie. The setting looks promising, simply because we'll get to see how webcomics are run, and the politics (if any) that will take place in a webcomic company.

A Quest To Heal (13 July on meWatch; 16 July, Mondays to Fridays 9pm on Channel 8)

When Ming Dynasty martial artist Luo Ming Yi (Carrie Wong) clashes with imperial guard Bi Zheng (Qi Yu Wu), the pair find themselves transported to modern day Singapore — where they find themselves in a failing restaurant that belongs to a descendant of Luo Ming Yi's master. To return to the past, they have no choice but to co-operate and help turn the restaurant's fortunes around with medicinal dishes cooked with authentic Ming Dynasty recipes. But their time-travelling feat has not gone unnoticed by those who would use it for nefarious purposes. Also stars Xu Bin, Ya Hui, and Bryan Wong.

You saw that right — this is a period drama (sort of)! Part of it was filmed overseas, and the bulk of the series looks like it will be set in modern times. But who wouldn't want to see all our favourite Channel 8 actors back in billowing oriental robes and long flowing hair? The series also promises a bit more excitement than the usual domestic dramas that we've been watching, and time travel is always a fun concept to see.

Grey's Anatomy Season 16 (22 Jul, Wednesdays 10pm)
FOX Life (Singtel CH 301, Starhub CH 501)

The long-running series returns for a 16th season, as we see the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital deal with life-or-death consequences on a daily basis. But it's in one another that they find comfort, friendship and, at times, more than friendship. Together they're discovering that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white. Real life only comes in shades of grey... or is it orange now? Stars Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, and Chandra Wilson

With Dr Meredith Grey having been fired in the previous season (and also getting into some legal kerfuffles), it'll be fun to see how status quo is restored in this season. Of course, she can't stay fired for long since the medical drama revolves around her, but it'll be fun to see her as a fish out of water. But Grey's Anatomy has always been rooted in character-based drama, and it's this strength that'll see it past Season 17 (we presume) and beyond.

Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (30 Jul)
Netflix

A race of transforming robots, led by the heroic Optimus Prime and the villainous Megatron, find themselves on the edge of extinction as their war has ravaged their planet Cybertron to the point of no return. Now, both factions are willing to do whatever it takes to win — even if the costs are too high to bear. The War for Cybertron may turn out to be an impossible war to win, for both Autobots and Decepticons. Features the voice talents of Edward Bosco, Brook Chalmers, and Todd Haberkorn.

The evergreen franchise returns, but this time with a seemingly adult-oriented approach and a fatalistic view towards the horrors of war. Optimus Prime may also be portrayed as a flawed protagonist, which is a refreshing change from his (perfect) depictions in other Transformers series. Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy may go down the road of a war movie format, but with transforming robots as soldiers. And at the end of the day, isn't that what we all want to see?

The Umbrella Academy (Season 2) (31 Jul)
Netflix

The super-powered teens of The Umbrella Academy return for a second season, as they learn more about their powers and navigate their family issues. But now that they've reverted to teenagers as a result of time travel, it will be an uphill battle to prevent the Apocalypse from happening (again). With new problems and new situations to deal with, the Umbrella Academy faces their biggest challenge yet. Based on the comic series of the same name. Stars Ellen Page and Tom Hopper.

It's not hard to see the appeal of The Umbrella Academy - wish fulfilment (super powers), the protagonists connect with an elusive target audience (18 - 35), and overall vibe of the show. But with so many changes in the premise of the series, it remains to be seen if the second season can match the standards by the first. However, change is the only constant, so perhaps the new season may exceed the expectations set by the first. Regardless, everyone loves a good superhero show, which is what this series is all about, so expect more super shenanigans by them.

TERRESTRIAL

Suria

Beyblade Burst (6 Jul, Mondays 9am)

Ayuh Sihat Bersama! (Season 8) (6 Jul, Mondays 9.30pm)

Channel 8

A Quest To Heal (16 Jul, Mondays to Fridays 9pm)

CABLE

HBO (Starhub Ch 601, Singtel Ch 420)

UglyDolls (4 Jul, Saturdays 9pm)

A Score To Settle (11 Jul, Saturdays 9pm)

Room 104 (Season 4) (25 Jul, Saturdays 11am)

HBO GO

2 Dope Queens (Season 2), (1 Jul, Wednesdays 12am)

The Mustang (12 Jul, Sundays 12am)

Trial By Fire (23 Jul, Thursdays 12am)

Jarhead: Law of Return (31 Jul, Fridays 12am)

Oh!K (Starhub Ch 816, Singtel Ch 525)

She Knows Everything (9 Jul, Thursdays and Fridays 7.50pm)

XX (1 Jul, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 8pm)

Friend: The Great Legacy (5 Jul, Sundays 9pm)

Bravo! My Love (8 Jul, Mondays to Fridays 11pm)

Confession (12 Jul, Sundays 9pm)

My First Client (19 Jul, Sundays 9pm)

Failing In Love (21 Jul, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 7.50pm)

Whistle Blower (26 Jul, Sundays 9pm)

Hold My Hand (30 Jul, Tuesdays to Fridays 9pm)

Warner TV (Starhub Ch 515, Singtel Ch 306)

Papillon (31 Jul, Fridays 9pm)

Boomerang (Starhub Ch 316, Singtel Ch 226)

Talking Tom Heroes (11 Jul, Saturdays and Sundays 9.30am)

Cartoon Network (Starhub Ch 317, Singtel Ch 228)

Kingdom Force (18 Jul, Saturdays and Sundays 3pm)

FOX Life (Singtel CH 301, Starhub CH 501)

Single Parent (Season 2) (30 Jul, Thursdays 8.30pm)

Grey's Anatomy (Season 16) (22 Jul, Wednesdays 10pm)

FX (Singtel CH 310, Starhub CH 507)

Mrs America (11 Jul, Saturdays 10pm)

BBC First (Starhub Ch 502)

The Split Series (Season 2) (3 Jul, Fridays)

Save Me Too (Season 2) (17 Jul, Fridays)

Our Girl (Season 4) (31 Jul, Fridays)

BBC Earth (StarHub Ch 407)

The Supervet (Season 6) (3 Jul, Fridays 8.05pm)

Bears About The House (20 Jul, Mondays 8.05pm)

Inside The Factory (Season 5) (26 Jul, Sundays 9pm)

BBC Lifestyle (StarHub Ch 432)

Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hrs To Hell And Back (13 Jul, Mondays 10.10pm)

Your Home Made Perfect (27 Jul, Mondays 9.15pm)

CBeebies (StarHub Ch 303)

Andy’s Aquatic Adventures (27 Jul, Mondays to Fridays, 8.15pm)

BBC Brit (BBC Player)

Home (Season 2) (27 Jul, Mondays)

Streaming

Netflix

Unsolved Mysteries (1 Jul)

Under The Riccione Sun (movie) (1 Jul)

Warrior Nun (2 Jul)

Cable Girls (Season 5, Part 2) (3 Jul)

Desperados (movie (3 Jul)

Ju-On: Origins (2 Jul)

The Baby-Sitters Club (2 Jul)

Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (8 Jul)

Stateless (8 Jul)

Was It Love? (8 Jul)

Japan Sinks: 2020 (9 Jul)

The Old Guard (movie) (10 Jul)

O Crush Perfeito (10 Jul)

Hello Ninja (Season 3) (10 Jul)

The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants in Space (10 Jul)

The Twelve (10 Jul)

Cinderella Pop (13 Jul)

On Est Ensemble (14 Jul)

The Business Of Drugs (14 Jul)

Dark Desire (15 Jul)

Fatal Affair (movie) (16 Jul)

Indian Matchmaking (16 Jul)

Boca A Boca (Kissing Game) (17 Jul)

Cursed (17 Jul)

Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love (20 Jul)

How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) (Season 2) (21 Jul)

Street Food: Latin America (21 Jul)

Fear City: New York vs the Mafia (22 Jul)

The Larva Island Movie (23 Jul)

Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets Of The Songwing (24 Jul)

Good Girls (Season 3) (26 Jul)

Last Chance U: Laney (28 Jul)

The Hater (movie) (29 Jul)

Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (30 Jul)

Get Even (31 Jul)

The Umbrella Academy (Season 2) (31 Jul)

Viu

Into The Ring (2 Jul)

To All The Guys Who Loved Me (7 Jul)

The Good Detective (7 Jul)

She Knows Everything (9 Jul)

Train (12 Jul)

Unsung Cinderella: Midori, The Hospital Pharmacist (16 Jul)

Chip-In (23 Jul)

Flower Of Evil (23 Jul)

Marcus Goh is a television scriptwriter who writes for “Crimewatch”, as well as popular shows like “Lion Mums”, “Code of Law”, “Incredible Tales”, and “Police & Thief”. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find him on social media as Optimarcus and on his site. The views expressed are his own.

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